Welcome to the Jungle
by secretlyshipping
Summary: A humanized Jungle Book fic. Bagheera's relationship with his boyfriend Shere Khan is on the rocks, and his best friend Baloo just wants him to be with someone who will treat him right. A prequel to a fic I'm planning that will follow the Jungle Book more closely. Warnings: Slash. M/M. Some language. Mentions of drugs. Abuse. Bagheera x Shere Khan. Bagheera x Baloo.
1. Chapter 1

Bagheera let out a long sigh and walked faster, heading home after a long day at work. Double shifts at the diner as a busboy were rough, but worth it. He needed the money to pay the bills while his boyfriend kept looking for a new job.

He undid a button on his shirt and ran his fingers through his hair in an attempt to relax some. All he wanted was to come home to his boyfriend's open arms and feel the stress melt away as Shere Khan held him tight.

That might be a bit much to hope for, though. Khan was anything but cuddly. He was much more similar to a prickly pear than a teddy bear. When they first got together, Bagheera's friends were sure he just had the hots for the "bad boy", but Bagheera saw passion in him which he thought he'd be able to coax out.

Yet, after living together for 3 months, he had yet to see any more than that first glimmer. Perhaps he had been imagining things? The only passion he saw was the anger in his voice when the two argued, which, unfortunately, happened fairly often.

He unlocked the apartment door and walked in. Once the barrier of the door was gone, he heard Shere Khan speaking in a low voice from the kitchen and another whimpery voice reply. The other voice held his "s"'s just long enough for Bagheera to identify him. It was Kaa, one of the acid heads whom Khan regularly sold to.

When they heard Bagheera's footsteps coming closer, the two looked up at him, ceasing their conversation until he walked away. Bagheera frowned and went to his room, changing into more comfortable clothes. When he'd changed into a t-shirt and jeans, he returned and just heard Kaa saying as he left, "Send my regards to the misssusss."

"I'll tell Bagheera you said hello." Khan's promise was unneeded as Bagheera's yellow eyes met Kaa's; heterochromia with one blue and one brown, but both with heavy bags underneath. Kaa winked and shut the door.

Khan tapped his cigarette on the nearest ashtray, knocking the ashes off.

"What was he doing here?" Bagheera asked, frowning at his man.

"I think you know what he was doing here." Shere Khan sighed, but still kept his back facing Bagheera.

"I thought we talked about this. I thought you said you'd quit." Shere Khan said nothing, but he tensed up. He was already irritable and didn't want to hear this rant again. Bagheera continued, "I don't want to see you throw your life away."

"You don't want to see it? Then get out."

Bagheera's eyes widened at the man's words. "What?"

Khan spun around and separated his words at a much higher volume.

"You heard me! Get out!"

Bagheera's eyes were watery and his lip was trembling in an effort not to cry as he walked by and slammed the apartment door shut as he left. He pulled out his cell as he walked, calling an old friend.

"Baloo? Yeah. I've had a rough night. Want to go out for a drink?"

* * *

When Bagheera arrived at their usual pub, Baloo was already at the bar, with a free stool next to him, ready and waiting for Bagheera. Bagheera sat and was about to order when the bartender placed a whiskey in front of him.

Bagheera looked up at the man, but he had already walked away, so he turned his confused stare to Baloo, who winked as he took a sip of his beer, "I know what my Baggy likes."

Bagheera smiled at him, forgetting all about the fight he'd had with Shere Khan...that is until Baloo brought it up, "So what's wrong? You wanna talk about it?"

The smaller male sighed, "I'd had a long day at work and when I came home, Khan and I had a bit of a spat, is all."

Baloo frowned, "I see." He looked away from his friend and stared into his drink, silent for a while. Finally, he looked back at Bagheera and began, "If he hurts you…"

"He hasn't and he would never!" Bagheera interrupted, confident in his man's integrity.

Baloo mumbled under his breath something which sounded awfully similar to "don't be so sure", but spoke up louder with the rest of the words, "Sorry. I'm not meaning to accuse him, I just know Khanny's really quick to anger."

Bagheera huffed and rolled his eyes, but Baloo went on, "And I don't just mean physically. Words hurt too, Bagheera. If he says something that upsets you, come and tell me. I'll give him the what for. And if it's something unforgiveable? (at this, Bagheera's mind flashed back to Khan shouting at him to leave). Seriously, just break up with him. You deserve so much better."

He looked back into his drink again, but his drinking mate kept his gaze focused on him, "That's very sweet of you, Baloo. You truly are a great friend." Baloo gave a meek smile at that.

* * *

By the end of their evening, Bagheera was barely standing up; having to lean on Baloo. Bagheera never was one who could handle alcohol, and Baloo, the protective friend who could hold his liquor, was happy to escort his old pal home.

He rang the bell and Khan opened the door, giving Baloo and the nearly unconscious Bagheera a once-over. He nodded toward Baloo, and without a word exchanged between the two, he transferred Bagheera over to himself, taking him into the apartment, and slamming the door in Baloo's face.

Baloo blinked at the door making a loud bang in front of him and let out a sigh, turning around and slowly making his way back to his own apartment, his thoughts never straying from his friend who meant so much more to him.

No sooner had the door slammed shut, did Shere Khan throw the tipsy Bagheera onto the couch. At the rough handling, he woke up a bit, enough to cry out in pain and look at Khan, disoriented and scared.

"What were you doing with that bear?" Khan growled at him.

"What?"  
"I said, what were you doing with Baloo?!"

Bagheera blinked hard, puzzled by the question, "We went out for a drink."

"Did you fuck him?"

Bagheera was completely baffled, "Excuse me?"

"You heard me!"

Bagheera was getting a bit testy and it showed in his tone of voice, "No, I did not sleep with my childhood friend."

Khan nodded, accepting the answer, but he was still hot, "I don't like you hanging around that guy."

_Well, I don't like _you _hanging around Kaa and your other clients._ "Why not? He's my best friend."  
Khan got in his face, intimidating the dark-haired man. "He'd like to be a lot more than that. He wants what's mine."

Bagheera was confused. The alcohol had already put him in a daze, and now Shere Khan was saying such impossible things, like Baloo having feelings for him. "All we did was talk. What you said really bothered me, so I wanted to cheer myself up."

Khan glared at him, "Don't blame me! You were the one who was patronizing me for making us some cash!"

"Excuse me for being concerned that my boyfriend could go to jail!" His frustrations over all those months burst out as sarcasm, "Excuse me for not wanting acid freaks around, having a bad trip and potentially ruining our home!"

Bagheera had never seen Shere Khan more furious, when it happened. With a loud smack, Khan slapped Bagheera across the face, leaving him wide-eyed and rosy-cheeked.

Bagheera took a step back in shock, and Khan's eyes widened, stricken with fear from what he had done. He reached his hand out to soothe his lover, "I'm sorr-" but he stopped apologizing when Bagheera flinched away from him. Khan moved quickly and trapped Bagheera in a tight hug.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I'll never do it again." Bagheera was tense and feebly pushed at Khan's shoulders to get away. Khan loosened the hug so he could look at the shorter man and judge his reaction.

Bagheera felt as if he was floating. He wasn't the one in his body when he pushed Khan off him and replied, "No, you won't." before walking out the door.

That still wasn't him, who stumbled along the road, falling over himself, but eventually making it to Baloo's doorstep, ringing the doorbell at an such an ungodly hour.

After a few minutes, a groggy Baloo in pajama pants and an oversized t-shirt came to the door.

"Bagheera?" He asked, skeptic of whether his friend was actually there. That hesitancy disappeared, though, as soon as Bagheera let loose all the emotions welling up inside him, openly sobbing. Baloo's adrenaline kicked in and he embraced Bagheera, closing the apartment door and just letting his love cling to him for support.

When at last the sobs turned into shaky breaths, Baloo lifted Bagheera up bridal-style and carried him off to his bed, laying him down and tucking him in. Bagheera was so exhausted, he didn't even notice the soft kiss on his forehead before he passed out.


	2. Chapter 2

Welcome to the Jungle: Chapter 2

Warnings: Attempted rape

When Bagheera woke up, his head was pounding and he just wanted to slip back into a peaceful slumber. This was hard to do, however, as he looked around and recognized that it was not his own bedroom that he was in, though he recognized it as Baloo's, so it wasn't too great of a shock. As he got up to look for the tenant of the apartment, the previous night's memories came rushing back to him; the fight with Shere Khan, drinking far too much with Baloo, and returning only to fight again and this time actually getting hit from it. Bagheera rubbed his cheek, which hadn't really been hurting until he touched the sensitive skin. The rest of him was sore, however, from walking such a distance, and in a drunken stupor to boot (though he could not recall how he ended up at his friend's place).  
Trying not to think about how to handle the situation, he exited the room and went exploring the flat, finding his friend in the kitchen. When Baloo noticed his presence, he gave a small smile and poured Bagheera a glass of water and gave him an aspirin, already aware of how miserable Bagheera must've felt from the alcohol the night before.

They sat down at the table next to each other, not speaking, as Bagheera eagerly guzzled the drink. Finally, Baloo spoke, "Do you remember what happened last night?"

Bagheera swallowed and nodded, slowly.

"Wanna talk about it?"

Bagheera let out a sigh and said, "He hit me."

"Why?"  
Bagheera remembered that Khan had been angry and jealous that he had gone out with Baloo, who Khan believed liked his boyfriend. He thought it best to leave that out. "It's not important."

"And you left?"

Bagheera nodded.

"Good." He ruffled Bagheera's already messy hair and gave a weak smile, "I'm proud of you. Though I'm sorry he treated you like that."

"It's alright…I'm sad and angry, but I'm done with him now. Really, I'm just worried about how I'll get my stuff that's in our apartment." Bagheera chewed on his lip in thought, "He was apologetic after…I guess he's not so crazy that I'd be in danger if I went back, though he'll probably try to convince me to stay."

"I can go with you," Baloo offered, "I'll make sure he doesn't hurt you again."

Bagheera smiled sadly at him, "It's alright, I can—no, I need to—do this myself. Thank you. I'll call you if there's any problems."

They ate breakfast together and Baloo left for work. Bagheera called in sick and then got ready to go return to his apartment. He was a mess, so he took a shower and walked to his apartment, swimming in an oversized but fresh outfit of Baloo's.

Bagheera opened the door to the apartment slowly, checking to see if Shere Khan was anywhere to be seen. While he didn't think there'd be any serious problem if they ran into each other, he still preferred to avoid conflict. Khan wasn't in sight, so he walked in, but his footsteps were silent and he moved with caution.

He made it to the bedroom and grabbed a duffel bag and a suit case from the closet, cramming his clothes and other junk in them as best as he could. When they were packed full of his favorite things and as much as he could of the rest, he let out a sigh of relief and turned to leave the place.

Just as his hand was about to grab the doorknob and turn it, it fled from him as the door was opened. Khan towered over him, blocking out the light of the hall with his large physique. His eyes met Bagheera and his apathetic face went to an angry frown and he entered the apartment, shutting the door behind him. Before Bagheera could protest, he'd locked the deadbolt and the chain.

Bagheera's heart started to race and he made an attempt to reopen the door and flee, but Khan snatched his arm and held it with force, grumbling, "Where did you run off to?"

Bagheera gulped, "To B-Baloo's." He winced as Shere Khan's nails dug into his forearm.

"Did you call the cops?"

Bagheera frowned, he hadn't even thought of that. "No."

Khan looked unconvinced and he conveyed it in his actions as he bent Bagheera's arm behind his back and shoved him against the door, forcing him to turn his face, his cheek pressed against the structure. Bagheera heard a "snikt" and shortly after felt a cool, sharp edge on his throat, just under his chin. The taller man leaned forward and Bagheera could feel his warm, moist breath on his neck and ear.  
"Why should I trust you? Why should I let you go? I wouldn't want you calling the cops and pressing charges….and I certainly wouldn't want you to end up with that _bear_." An extra gust of air from Khan's scoff sent shivers down Bagheera's spine, "And we've had so much _fun_ together. Why should it end? Just 'cause I knocked you around a bit? You'll learn to love it."

Bagheera whimpered as Khan grabbed him by the arm and swung him around, letting him fly roughly into an armchair. Khan quickly came near him, returning the knife to his neck. "Don't make a sound, or I'll have to slit your pretty throat." Khan climbed on him and kissed down the side of his neck that he didn't have the knife pressed to. When he reached Bagheera's clavicle, he stopped and moved the knife down to slice open the borrowed shirt.

He made a noise of disgust, "You smell like him. It's sick. We'll have to fix that." The blade was back again and Khan moved to his chest and nipples, sucking and biting. Even if they had been in a pleasurable experience with mutual consent, Khan was being far too rough. It was clear that his goal was to leave as many marks as he could cover Bagheera in. Bagheera squirmed a bit at the thought and Khan put pressure on the blade. Bagheera yelped and felt a wet stickiness on his neck, letting him know that he had drawn blood. "Don't fight, you'll only make this worse for yourself."

Before Khan had a chance to continue his ministrations, there was a loud bang and a crack and shouting as the door was broken down and several cops burst through the splintered entrance. Both men jumped.

"FREEZE! DROP YOUR WEAPON, PUT YOUR HANDS UP AND STAND!"

Shere Khan grumbled and glared at Bagheera, begrudgingly throwing the knife to the ground and raising his hands, fingers spread to be level with his head. He turned around and stared at the intruders and saw Baloo hanging in the back by the door. He shot a dirty look at him, baring his teeth, and returned his focus to the officers.

Bagheera and Baloo locked eyes and both let out a sigh of relief. Bagheera followed it with rapid breaths of hysteria as he started to cry and Baloo rushed over to console him. As Shere Khan was handcuffed and escorted out of the apartment, the medics came in and swaddled Bagheera in a shock blanket.

The cops began to search the flat and Bagheera called out to them, telling them where Khan kept his stash; in a box in the bottom drawer of the wardrobe in their bedroom.

"Thank you, sir," One of the policemen nodded to Bagheera in gratitude and continued, "We've been after Khan for a while now. We've known he was a drug dealer, but we hadn't had enough evidence to arrest him. When your friend here," he gestured to Baloo, "came and informed us that you'd been gone for a few hours and you and Khan had had a physical fight last night, it gave us an opportunity to strike. He'll be going to court not only for his drugs, but for assault and attempted rape. You won't have to worry about him for a long time."

Bagheera was too petrified to celebrate, so he just leaned against Baloo, weeping and shivering, until he was taken to the hospital to be assessed and have his wound bandaged.

Author's note: Thank you, to those of you who are reading or following this story! I hope I haven't scared you away with this chapter, but I promise, that's the worst it'll get. I'm hoping you're getting all of the little parallels with the original movie that I'm putting in the story. For example, Shere Khan uses a switch blade on the neck, just like his classic and intimidating clawed chin scratch.  
Once again, thank you so much for reading, and now that I know there are actually people reading this, I'm encouraged to keep writing.


End file.
